Leadership - 2. The Law of Influence

[GoldenEagle]

1Sa 25:10-11 KJV And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. (11) Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

I find it unlikely that Nabal did not know who David was considering Abigail's obvious knowledge he was God's annointed.

Was Nabal playing dumb to excuse his selfish actions? A good leader should be careful who he makes enemies with.

A few further thoughts on this passage in 1 Sam. 25:

There are four types of riches: what you have (material possessions), what you do (actions), what you know (knowledge), and what you are (character - which good character can only be learned from God). Nabal was a very rich man, but unfortunately only rich in what he had. He had the least valuable kind of riches – material possessions. He lacked in all other aspects of riches.

It is interesting to note too that Scripture gives Abigail great praise when it says she was of beautiful appearance. There are only two other women who have this Hebrew phrase applied to them - Rachel (Genesis 29:7) and Esther (Esther 2:7).

Why didn’t Nabal’s servants appeal to him to reconsider his actions against David? Nabal was a fool or a scoundrel. (2 Sam. 25:17)

Here’s a small sample of what God says about fools.

Prov. 3:35

The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

Prov. 14:16

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Prov. 18:6-7

A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Hello GE,

I like what you have written a lot.

One thing though. Abigail went against her husbands wishes by giving supplies to David.

What is the biblical principle to this? Is it doing the right thing regardless or obeying God and not man or something else.

Why did the servants go to Abigail? Because she was wise, trusted, and they knew she would take action to save her people.

A few things to note about Abigail: A. She did this without the approval of her husband. B. She openly criticized her husband.

A. Perhaps saving lives is justifiable when considering what the consequences to her not usurping her husband’s wrong position – the death of innocent people including all the males in Nabal’s household.

B. Her criticism of her husband was in contrast to her expectations of David – a man after God’s own heart. The point of the passage is how respectful and humble Abigail was to David.

2 Sam. 25:29

Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

This sentence reminds David to act like a man after God’s own heart and not stoop to Nabel’s level.

Your thoughts?

God bless,

GE

[GoldenEagle]

I'm not sure I am on base with this. . . . But I will Give it a try.

God Uses David !

The Story of David and Goliath is Found in the First book of Samuel. (17) David was just a youth, the youngest of his three brothers. He was an armourbearer for Saul , untrained in War and was destined to defeat a man of war from youth. His weapon of choice was 5 smooth stones, a sling and the guidance of God.

1) David was just a young man, untrained, but held the Might of God in high esteem, confident in the Lords protection for Him. Knowing that he would be delivered before Goliath. Something interesting is that he says, "I come before you in the name of the Lord of Hosts." Then we look at John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" That same promise is presented; David came before the philistines in the name of the Lord; so that He may glorify His name. And it was done!!!

2) David was merely looked upon as a young child, most of all mocked for his "lack of wisdom in war" and coming before them with a stick. Little did they know just what he really came with !

3)David was of no real big name, just a young man representing God; being guided by Him in every way. He walked by faith; to me this not only represents the uniqueness of God's choice but it gives a true meaning to Gods dedication and love for us ! How far faith and favor can really go!

This is a great post. Great thoughts Jacob. I discussed some of this on this thread: Check it out let me know what you think.

I agree it’s amazing what God can do even with a young man who fears God and honors His name. David is a great example of a man who walked by faith.

I’d like to add to the idea of David’s influence and to bring up a difference time in David’s life.

D. The Law of Influence: God used David

1 Chron. 11:1-3

Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’” ³ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

As the Most influential man in the country David was leading long before Saul lost his throne.

Like it or not, position doesn’t make a person a leader do you agree? Title may give someone authority, but not influence. Influence comes from the person as a gift from God; however, it must be earned by followers. David had earned influence and Saul had not. Why was this so?

1. Unity: David rallied the people and created unity. (v. 1)

2. Identification: David identified with his followers. (v. 1)

3. Credibility: David effectively led various military campaigns. (v. 2)

4. Anointing: David enjoyed God’s hand power in his life. (v. 2)

5. Partnership: David worked cooperatively with key leaders, not over them. (v. 3)

David was an example of a leader with positive influence.

God bless,

GE

Source: Leadership material from John C. Maxwell.

[Guest ninhao]

Why did the servants go to Abigail? Because she was wise, trusted, and they knew she would take action to save her people.

A few things to note about Abigail: A. She did this without the approval of her husband. B. She openly criticized her husband.

A. Perhaps saving lives is justifiable when considering what the consequences to her not usurping her husband’s wrong position – the death of innocent people including all the males in Nabal’s household.

B. Her criticism of her husband was in contrast to her expectations of David – a man after God’s own heart. The point of the passage is how respectful and humble Abigail was to David.

2 Sam. 25:29

Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

This sentence reminds David to act like a man after God’s own heart and not stoop to Nabel’s level.

Your thoughts?

God bless,

GE

Yes I agree there is a time to disregard a foolish leader and do what is correct !

[Jayyycuuup]

I'm not sure I am on base with this. . . . But I will Give it a try.

God Uses David !

The Story of David and Goliath is Found in the First book of Samuel. (17) David was just a youth, the youngest of his three brothers. He was an armourbearer for Saul , untrained in War and was destined to defeat a man of war from youth. His weapon of choice was 5 smooth stones, a sling and the guidance of God.

1) David was just a young man, untrained, but held the Might of God in high esteem, confident in the Lords protection for Him. Knowing that he would be delivered before Goliath. Something interesting is that he says, "I come before you in the name of the Lord of Hosts." Then we look at John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" That same promise is presented; David came before the philistines in the name of the Lord; so that He may glorify His name. And it was done!!!

2) David was merely looked upon as a young child, most of all mocked for his "lack of wisdom in war" and coming before them with a stick. Little did they know just what he really came with !

3)David was of no real big name, just a young man representing God; being guided by Him in every way. He walked by faith; to me this not only represents the uniqueness of God's choice but it gives a true meaning to Gods dedication and love for us ! How far faith and favor can really go!

This is a great post. Great thoughts Jacob. I discussed some of this on this thread: Check it out let me know what you think.

I agree it’s amazing what God can do even with a young man who fears God and honors His name. David is a great example of a man who walked by faith.

I’d like to add to the idea of David’s influence and to bring up a difference time in David’s life.

1 Chron. 11:1-3

Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’” ³ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

As the Most influential man in the country David was leading long before Saul lost his throne.

Like it or not, position doesn’t make a person a leader do you agree? Title may give someone authority, but not influence. Influence comes from the person as a gift from God; however, it must be earned by followers. David had earned influence and Saul had not. Why was this so?

1. Unity: David rallied the people and created unity. (v. 1)

2. Identification: David identified with his followers. (v. 1)

3. Credibility: David effectively led various military campaigns. (v. 2)

4. Anointing: David enjoyed God’s hand power in his life. (v. 2)

5. Partnership: David worked cooperatively with key leaders, not over them. (v. 3)

David was an example of a leader with influence.

Hello GE,

Thank you for that link as you had touched more on the account of David then I had brought up and it was refreshing.

And Yes I totally agree, title is only sufficient to Man; as looking in the bible; and we know it to be true that God uses ".....the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:27) Just in this case God had made David a perfect example of this verse.

[GoldenEagle]

E. The Law of Influence: Jephthah - Makes a Poor Leadership Choice

Judges 11:1-31

Jephthah, the ninth judge of Israel, may have been "a mighty man of valor" but he also began his life as "the son of a harlot." (Judges 11:1) From Jephthah we can learn some crucial leadership lessons from his life:

1. Even unlikely candidates can become influential leaders. (v. 1-3) This means anyone can lead if they seek God’s leadership.

2. People follow leaders because of their relevant gifts. (v. 4-6) In the case of Believers because of the evidence of the Holy Spirit in the person’s life.

3. Good leaders inquire about the request and result desired. (v. 7-11)

4. Effective leaders negotiate win/win agreements whenever possible. (v. 12-28)

Ironically, even though Jephthah modeled these lessons, he made a tragic choice just before God allowed him to conquer the Ammonites. He impetuaously voews to sacrifice to the Lord “whatever come out of the doors of my house to meet me.” (Judges 11:31) Sadly, his only child came out to greet him after his victory and his hasty vow cost him a beloved daughter. Jephthah’s life and actions teach us that:

5. Even the brightest of leaders can be overcome by their will or emotions.

6. Decision and commitments should not be made in a vacuum.

7. Leaders must weigh what they are willing to sacrifice, up front.

8. Good leaders follow through on their commitments, whatever the cost.

Thoughts?

God bless,

GE

Source: Leadership material from John C. Maxwell.

[Guest LadyC]

my thoughts are this. it's not a salvational issue, so we shouldn't spend too much time being divided over it. on the other hand, it does deserve some discussion because even in the new testament, jephthah is referred to as a man of great faith.

there are two trains of thought on this. yours and mine. BOTH of our trains of thougths can be supported scripturally, and both are equally valid. the christian community is pretty much divided in half on the issue.

according to your view, he literally sacrificed his daughter's life.

according to my view, he followed the letter of God's law and redeemed his sacrifice, since his sacrifice was human, and therefore instead of dying, she spent her life dedicated to God, therefore never being allowed to marry or bear children.

to me, that makes far more sense, since jephthah was a man of God, and was so very clear on what the laws concerning sacrifice were. it fulfills his vow without making an enemy of God. to me, it's absurd that someone who fulfilled his vow in a way that God forbade would later be considered as a man of great faith in new testament writings.

so i'm not going to spend time debating it. all i ask is that both viewpoints be presented. until we're standing before God, neither side can or will be proven correct.

[GoldenEagle]

my thoughts are this. it's not a salvational issue, so we shouldn't spend too much time being divided over it. on the other hand, it does deserve some discussion because even in the new testament, jephthah is referred to as a man of great faith.

<snip>

I agreed that in the context of salvation it didn't really matter. And I'm not saying there isn't backing for what your view on that part of the passage is about.

Sorry dear Sister I didn't clarify this look at Jephthah was to look at this man's life in context of Biblical leadership. The focus isn't on whether his daughter died or lost her freedom to marry (remain a virgin) - either one was a very tragic death (immediate or over a lifetime either way ending Jephthah's lineage). Since we had discussed him in another thread I thought this might interest you. Forgive me for not communicating well?

What do you think of the lessons gleaned from Jephthah's life?

God bless,

GE

[Guest LadyC]

LOL, you're forgiven. let me read it again in the proper context and get back with you on it. i'm typing this during a commercial, so i'm going to get back to my show and then take a long nap first. (i have to work graveyard tonight... gotta get some sleep so i can make it through my shift without hearing and seeing things that aren't there!) i'll check back and read through this again later this afternoon.

[GoldenEagle]

Moving along... To Samuel...

F. Samuel’s Influence

1 Sam. 7:1-17

It didn’t take long for the Israelites to get a taste of the leadership of their new judge and prophet, Samuel. The prophet’s influence grew daily. When the people trusted him, they were delivered from the Philistines, saw the ark returned to their land, and enjoyed peace in the land. He became by far the most influential leader of his day.

But how did he gain such influence? What made everyone listen to him? At least three indispensable qualities gained him the influence God gave Samuel:

1. Competence

God blessed Samuel with many gifts. He heard from the Lord, he could see the future unfold, and he wisely knew what to do in crisis. His abilities provided one reason that everyone listened to Samuel.

2. Character

Unlike Eli, Samuel exuded integrity and honestly faced each area of his life. Samuel truly trusted God. People trusted him and knew that he had Israel’s best interests in mind. They considered Samuel utterly trustworthy and depended upon him to intercede for them with God.

3. Connection

Samuel knew how to connect with people; he spoke their language. He expressed compassion for their predicaments and brought courage to their pursuits.

Competence + Character + Connection = Influence

Any thoughts here?

[GoldenEagle]

G. Esther’s Influence

Esther 1:12

When Queen Vashti refused to be put on display, King Ahasuerus grew angry. At the counsel of his advisors, he removed her from office (Esther 1), opening the door for Esther to take her spot as Queen. Esther serves as a marvelous illustration of how God uses one person’s influence to accomplish His plans. God used Esther to save her entire people from death and destruction. One obedient person in God’s hands can make the difference!

Much like God used Jesus Christ as our Redeeming Savior to pay for the price of the sins of humanity. (John 3:16)

Thoughts?